- Date
- October 6, 1984, 12:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Essex, NY
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N215NYCessna 172I
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841006054449A
- Case key
- 35587
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses stated acft became airborne near the slight rise in the rwy, aprx 1500 ft down the rwy, and climbed to aprx 60 ft AGL. Acft shuttered and nose of acft pitched up. Left wing and nose then dropped. Acft continued descending to the left across a small ravine which paralleled the rwy, crashing into the easterly side of a ravine. Investigation revealed seat stops were not found in plts seat rail. Stop screw was found on cabin floor near location of hole provided for seat stop in inboard track of seat. 1/2 of the broken seat stop was found in the left channel of the right plts seat track aprx 1 inch forward of the installation hole. The seat track surface was scored and all holes in the track were elongated. The seat rollers were replaced in 1979 due to slippage. Acft containeda seat slippage warning placard, 'insure aircraft seats are positively locked before takeoff and landing.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N215NY
- Reported as
- Cessna 172I
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257083
- Airframe hours
- 4,054
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E20, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol, doing business as Plattsburg, Ny
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1984 · 77 hours before
- Departed
- NY84 · Essex, NY
- Destination
- NY84 · Essex, NY
- Airport
- N/84 · Richter Aero
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 952 total · 859 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.